DESPATCHES, REPORTS, CORRESPONDENCE, ETC. 297 



lector and Comptroller of the Customs at Shelburne in Nova Scotia 

 to the Commissioners of the Customs which was transmitted to me 

 in Earl Bathurst's despatch No. 17 of October 1816, and which I 

 conceive to be the Report to which your Lordship must have referred. 

 I have omitted however that part of it which relates to the Attorney- 

 General's opinion upon the legality of capturing foreign vessels. 



It is proper that I should acquaint your Lordship that in one of the 

 last conversations which I had with Mr. Adams upon this business, 

 he gave me to understand that it had been found impossible to make 

 any proposition which should be framed upon the principle of an 

 assignment of any particular portion of coast for that, as it was 

 now known that the small fish which are used as bait, and without 

 which the cod-fishery cannot be carried on, are in a constant state 

 of migration, and that they occasionally desert for several years 

 whole tracts of the coast, it might happen that, by an arrangement 

 made upon such a principle the United States might be altogether 

 excluded from the necessary means of engaging in the pursuit. 



Whenever Mr. Adams shall furnish me with the promised propo- 

 sitions I shall not fail to take an immediate occasion of forwarding 

 them to your Lordship, but I shall not think it necessary to advert 

 again myself to the subject at any of our future conferences. 

 I have, &c. 



CHARLES BAGOT. 



The Right Honble. 



VISCOUNT CASTLEREAGH K. G. 



No. 10. 1852, December 6: Extracts from Report of Mr. Lorenzo 

 Sabine, on the principal -fisheries of the American Seas. Trans- 

 mitted to the United States Secretary of the Treasury* 



Previous to 1650 the people of Hull were allowed to seine fish 

 at Cape Cod ; but some irregularities having occurred, the Plymouth 

 court passed an order of interdiction, and limited the fishery there 

 to persons belonging to the towns of Plymouth, Duxbury, and Nauset, 

 under restrictions intended to insure an " orderly course in the man- 

 agement of it." 



Subject to continual annoyance and interruption by the fishermen 

 of Massachusetts, the court, in 1668, directed that a communication 

 should be sent to the government of that Colony, " to request them 

 to take some effectual care for the restraint of this abuse, as much as 

 may be." The property at Plymouth was " rated " the same year. 

 All persons " engaged about fishing " were " valued at twenty pounds 

 estate." This was high ; inasmuch as Edward Grey, whose stock in 

 trade was the most valuable, was rated only " six score pounds." 



In 1670, a valuation was made of the " fish-boats," and four were 

 estimated at twenty-five pounds each. Though called boats and I 

 suppose without decks many, probably, were of several tons burden, 

 and could be safely employed at a distance from shore. The fisheries, 



"Other extracts from this Report are printed in the Appendix to the British 

 Case at pp. 199-201, and in the Appendix to the United States Case at pp. 

 1130-1299. 



